LIBERALS BUOYED BY FORMER HOUSING MINISTER’S VISIT, THINK THEY HAVE A HORSE IN ‘CLOSE’ RACE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
PARRY SOUND-MUSKOKA — “I feel it’s gonna be real close. I think it’s a horse race.”
Matt Richter?
No, Geordie Sabbagh.
The Liberal candidate was channelling his Green friend Friday.
And why? Party polling?
“Just instinct,” said Sabbagh. “They don’t really poll our area particularly well, I think.”
National polls deem this a safe seat for Scott Aitchison to defend as the incumbent MP in the federal election tomorrow.
Liberal supporters were all aboard late Friday afternoon for a final rally two days before the federal election looking for answers about the local housing shortage affecting all areas of life from work to productivity, seniors, family and the disabled.
Sabbagh was buoyed Saturday by former Trudeau cabinet minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith at the Muskoka Race Boat museum — where speed records are celebrated.
“This was a real big deal for us our team. It’s small but mighty.”
But will the race to the finish visit presage a celebration Monday night?
With a winning boat backdrop, Sabbagh hosted maybe 75 supporters for a Q&A — save for opening and closing sales pitches by the Parry Sound-Muskoka runner and his guest speaker from the Beaches-East York riding.
“I joked that I’ve only been the minister of housing for four months and I’ve already served under two prime ministers,” Smith told the small crowd.
They were joined by Melinda Zytaruk, founder of Tooketree Passive Homes, a pre-fab builder in Baysville and Muskoka Community Land Trust member.
Sabbagh and Smith visited her factory beforehand and also met with trust members and a couple Muskoka councillors.
With housing prices up almost 100 per cent since 2014, Smith admitted “bipartisan neglect” and now the “challenge was more acute.”
Including locally where a submitted question asked: “Do I need my parents to die for me to get a home?”
Sabbagh said it sounded like it was from his sister.
Smith, too, empathized saying his brother rents and adding “pricing is running away from income.”
But said Liberals are turning page back to build back with a plan similar to Wartime Housing 80 years ago by lifting the GST for first-time buyers, working with the province and municipalities to incentivize on development charges and for the federal government to sell off lands for housing.
He called it a “carrot and stick” approach when comparing it the Conservative policy.
Other questions were on rent controls and homes for the disabled.
Smith cited Sault Ste. Marie where the city bought up derelict buildings, renovated them for mixed income housing at 20 per cent below market while being able to reinvest for in perpetuity.
Smith an admitted agitator from within his party said Sabbagh was not unlike him.
“I will be very critical of Pierre Poilievre. But if was critical of the local representation here, I would say I think to be a strong local representative you have to stand up and answer to your leader and party when you don’t see it heading in the right direction. And not just fall in line when you thought they were going to win and this was the path to power even it’s not the right direction for our country.
“And I think we need the opposite, that we need someone who’s going to push their party and themselves and call out the party when it’s not going in the right direction. And we need someone who’s going to stand up for this community in a serious way and not just put party first but you first.”
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